The present invention relates broadly to computer implemented methods and software products that analyze, sort and retrieve data, and, more specifically, to a computer implemented method and software product for parsing data resulting from an internet based search query.
The internet, or world-wide web, has provided the ability to communicate between computers throughout the world and has placed a multitude of remote computers at the disposal of any given computer user. These remote computers may be computers which contain data that has been classified, arranged and otherwise stored and sorted in accordance with predetermined criteria with the data being located in specific fields. Such databases have many uses, both commercial and non-commercial. Such non-commercial uses can include scientific study and research, and such commercial uses can include what has become known as e-commerce, providing the ability for consumers to shop for specific items from web sites using the internet.
In order to find the correct information, programs known as search engines have developed which prompt the user to enter a search term or terms and the search engine will cause the computer to search at least a portion of the internet to find an answer to the search query.
In a commercial arena, for example, consumer shopping, the ability to easily locate products for purchase is somewhat limited by the necessity of the consumer to choose an applicable web site for a particular product. Other search engines have been developed, known as xe2x80x9cshopping botsxe2x80x9d, that will search the internet for specific products at a variety of locations. The current search engines are sometimes slow and inaccurate.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a computer implemented method and a computer software product which will more efficiently query remote computers and, more particularly, internet web sites for specific items of information.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a computer implemented method and computer program product that will use meta-language to parse data received from specific web sites in order to provide a more accurate and rapid internet search.
To those ends, a computer implemented method for retrieving by a control computer select information from one or more remote computers includes the steps of a) receiving by the control computer information regarding a search query from a requesting computer; b) analyzing, using the control computer, the information regarding a search query to determine one or more remote computers to which the search queries should be sent; c) reading by the control computer at least one configuration file containing meta-language information applicable to each of the one or more remote computers for parsing information obtained from each of the one or more remote computers; d) polling the one or more remote computers by the control computer to fulfill the search query; e) receiving information in the control computer regarding the search query from the one or more remote computers; f) parsing the information received from the one or more remote computers using the meta-language instructions to form parsed information; g) grouping the parsed information into at least one set of aggregated information; and h) delivering the aggregated information to the requesting computer.
It is preferred that the computer implemented method include the step of filtering information using filter commands regarding the search query from the one or more remote computers using the control computer to more precisely match the search query.
Preferably, the step of creating the configuration file by entering meta-language instructions applicable to programs on the one or more remote computers onto computer-readable media for access by the control computer. It is further preferred that the step of creating the configuration files includes entering meta-language instructions that are based on text commands that instruct the control computer to perform string and numerical search and extraction operations. Preferably the step of creating the configuration file includes entering search command meta-language instructions that instruct the control computer to search for a particular string of characters. Preferably, the step of creating the configuration file also includes entering search command meta-language instructions that instruct the control computer to extract a string of characters and store the string of characters as an item field. The step of creating configuration files further preferably includes entering search command meta-language instructions that instruct the control computer to discard items that do not meet predetermined criteria defined in the filter commands. It is further preferred that the step of creating the configuration file includes entering search command meta-language instructions that instruct the control computer to control the execution of the control computer instructions in implementing the method.
It is preferred that the step of entering meta-language instructions that are based on text commands includes entered meta-language commands as a block of commands, with each block of commands being defined for a particular program resident on the one or more remote computers.
The method further preferably includes the step of detecting using the control computer, the format of the information regarding the search query from the one or more remote computers and choosing an appropriate sequence of meta-language to parse that information.
The computer implemented method of the present invention is effective for internet use. Accordingly, the computer implemented method for retrieving by a control computer select information from one or more remote computers uses the internet, and each of the one or more remote computers has resident one or more web sites. The method therefore include the steps of: a) receiving by the control computer information regarding a search query from an internet user""s computer; b) generating a search query using the internet user""s browser software; c) analyzing using the control computer, the information regarding the search query to determine which of the one or more web sites to which the search query should be directed; d) reading by the control computer, at least one configuration file containing meta-language information applicable to each of the one or more web sites for parsing information obtained from each of the one or more web sites; e) polling the one or more web sites by the control computer to fill the search query; f) receiving information in the control computer regarding the search query from the one or more web sites; g) parsing the information received from the one or more web sites using the meta-language instructions to form parsed information; h) grouping the parsed information into at least one set of aggregated information; and i) delivering the aggregated information to the internet user""s browser resident on the requesting computer to fulfill the search query.
Preferably, the method further includes the step of filtering information using filter commands regarding the search query received from the one or more web sites using the control computer to more precisely match the search query.
It is preferred that the method further include the step of creating the computer configuration file by entering meta-language instructions applicable to each web site to be polled onto computer-readable media for access by the control computer. It is preferred that the step of creating the configuration file by entering meta-language instructions applicable to each of the one or more web sites on a computer readable media for access by the control computer includes entering search command meta-language instructions that instruct the control computer to discard items that do not meet predetermined criteria defined in the filter commands.
It is further preferred that the step of creating the configuration file includes entering search command meta-language instructions that instruct the control computer to control the execution of the control computer instructions and implementing the method. Preferably the step of entering meta-language instructions that are based on text commands includes entering meta-language commands as a block of commands with each block of commands being defined for a particular web site. It is further preferred that the method include the step of detecting using the control computer the format of the information regarding the search query from the one or more web sites and choosing an appropriate sequence of meta-language instructions to parse the information.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes a computer useable medium having a computer readable code embodied thereon for retrieving by a control computer select information from one or more remote computers. The computer program product includes: a) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to receive information regarding a search query from a requesting computer; b) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to analyze the information regarding a search query to determine which of the one or more remote computers to which the search query should be sent; c) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to read at least one configuration file containing meta-language information applicable to each of the one or more computers for parsing information obtained from the one or more remote computers; d) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to poll the one or more computers to fulfill the search query; e) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to receive information regarding the search query from the one or more remote computers; f) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to receive information regarding the search query from the one or more remote computers; g) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to parse the information received from the one or more remote computers using meta-language instructions to form parsed information; h.) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to group said parsed information into at least one set of aggregated information and i) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to deliver the aggregated information to the requesting computer.
Preferably, the computer program products further includes computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to filter information using a search query received from the one or more remote computers using the control computer to more precisely match the search query.
The computer program product further preferably includes computer readable program code devices configured to define the configuration file as meta-language instructions applicable to each of the one or more remote computers to be polled for access by the control computer.
As with the computer implemented method of the present invention, another embodiment of the computer program product is particularly suited for internet use. To that end, a computer program product includes a computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied thereon for retrieving by a control computer select information from internet web sites. The computer program product includes: a) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to receive information regarding a search query form an internet user""s computer, the search query being generated using internet user""s internet browser software; b) computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer to analyze the information regarding the search query to determine which of the one or more web sites to which the search query should be delivered; c) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to read at least one configuration file containing meta-language information applicable to each of the one or more web sites for parsing information obtained from each of the one or more web sites; d) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to poll the one or more web sites to fulfill a search query; e) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to receive information regarding the search query from the one or more web sites; f) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to parse the information received from the one or more web sites using the meta-language instructions to form parsed information; g) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to group the parsed information into at least one set of aggregated information and h) computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to deliver the aggregated information to the internet user""s web browser resident on the requesting computer.
The present invention further preferably includes computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to filter information using filter commands regarding the search query received from the one or web sites using the control computer to more accurately fulfill the search query.
The present invention further preferably includes computer readable program code devices configured to define the configuration file as meta-language instructions application to each of the one or more web sites to be polled for access by the control computer. By the above, the present invention provides a computer implemented method and a computer program product that will perform efficient and accurate searches on computers, preferably a search conducted on the internet responsive to an internet user""s search request.